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CRAFT BEER CARES RAISES £10,000 FOR ART AGAINST KNIVES

The event took place beneath the railway arches at London Fields Brewery in September and saw over 500 attendees enjoy beers from around the world. Photo by Lily Waite

Charity beer festival Craft Beer Cares has raised over £10,000 for North London-based charity Art Against Knives. The event took place beneath the railway arches at London Fields Brewery on the 29th and 30th September 2018 and saw over 500 attendees enjoy fantastic beers from around the world over the course of the weekend. Guests were also able to enjoy street food, coffee, nail painting and music from a range of DJs during the event.

“We’re ecstatic with raising over £10k this year,” Craft Beer Cares founder Gautam Bhatnagar says. “This was the culmination of a real team effort, and I really can’t thank enough all the people that volunteered their time, the breweries that donated their beer, and everyone at London Fields who hosted us at such a great venue. It’s always a real pleasure to work with so many dedicated people, who go the extra mile to help others.”

The festival was able to donate 93.97% from its takings of £10,758.00 after it had covered any outlying expenses. This means that Art Against Knives was the recipient of £10,109.35 in total. The charity works to reduce violent crime, supporting young people and their communities to enable positive, lasting change. The donation will be used to sustain and expand their creative youth work, supporting more young people across North London to achieve positive, lasting change.

The event was made possible by a team of 22 volunteers—many who work in within the beer industry full time—and beer that was donated by 37 breweries from the UK, Europe, New Zealand and the United States. The event was also supported by a donation of merchandise from Fifth Column, Billy Franks Jerky, Taylor St Baristas, Union Coffee Roasters, Square and Roxie’s BBQ. A total of 537 tickets were sold, and many hundreds of pints were enjoyed (in moderation) over the weekend.

“I’d also like to thank all the people who attended,” Bhatnagar added. “It was great seeing such a mix of people, whether they be craft beer aficionados looking to get something super special to people attending their first ever beer festival. It all made for a wonderful, inclusive atmosphere and I truly hope the event was enjoyed by all.”

Craft Beer Cares will return in earnest in 2019, but will continue to run smaller charity events in the lead up to next year’s festival.